Sacred Sites

Susan Suntree’s previous books include Wisdom of the East: Stories of Compassion, Inspiration, and Love; Rita Moreno; and Eye of the Womb. She taught for many years at East Los Angeles College. Gary Snyder’s literary awards include the Pulitzer Prize in Poetry for Turtle Island and the Ruth Lilly Poetry Prize.Lowell John Bean is an anthropologist and the author and editor of numerous books and articles about California and Southwest Native American cultures and peoples. Juergen Nogai’s work has appeared in magazines, books, and museum and gallery exhibitions worldwide.

• List of Illustrations   Foreword Introduction Author's Note    Book OneThe Origins of Southern California: Western SciencePart 1. Light, Space, Matter      Part 2. Galaxy, Planet, Moon, Rain   Part 3. Wandering North America, Life, Death  Part 4. Reptiles, Flowers, Mammals, Rivers   Part 5. Southern California Coming: Mountains in Motion Part 6. Southern California Ice Age: Bountiful Homeland   Book TwoThe Origins of Southern California: Indigenous Myths and SongsPart 1. Universe, World, People   Part 2. The Great Captain Wiyot: Death, Spirit, Power     Part 3. Food, Feasting, Deer, Moon    Part 4. The First People   Part 5. Human Beings: Singers, Balance Keepers     Part 6. White People  Epilogue: Chinigchinich, the Spanish, the Yankees     Postscript  Acknowledgments   Notes Bibliography

“Susan Suntree’s mythopoetic Sacred Sites: The Secret History of Southern California weaves science, Native legend, and natural history into a two-hundred-plus-page poem. . . . [It comes] rooted in diversity and complexity, what many of the best books are about.”-David Ulin, Los Angeles Times“‘Human beings are the ones who have the power, through their songs, to affect the balance of the world.’ What an immensely beautiful book!”-Stephen Greenblatt, Cogan University Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University and author of The Swerve: How the World Became Modern, winner of the Pulitzer Prize and National Book Award“After sailing through this triumph of literary montage the Southland will never seem the same-it has become Indian Country again.”-Peter Nabokov, professor of world arts and cultures at the University of California at Los Angeles and author of Where the Lightning Strikes: The Lives of American Indian Sacred Places"Suntree tells the story that is least often told, and for that alone readers can be grateful."—Brett Garcia Myhren, Western American Literature “A geological and cultural human history of Southern California in verse? Impossible, right? Not so, as this is exactly what California-born Susan Suntree has done. And to Suntree’s credit, her performance of this ‘impossible’ feat is not only competent, it shines.”-Thomas Crowe, Bloomsbury Review“I simply cannot express adequately my appreciation for Sacred Sites: The Secret History of Southern California. It is wonderful! So full of beauty and knowledge.”-Glen MacDonald, UCLA Distinguished Professor and John Muir Memorial Chair of Geography“Meticulously researched geology, geography, history, and oral traditions are put in motion by a performer’s touch. . . . Sacred Sites is an outstanding literary work, combining science with the spirituality of Native oral traditions.”-Jurgita Antoine, Tribal College Journal"Sacred Sites is a glowing monument to the magic that trails behind each one of us humans, a sweet testament to imagination and whatever God we may acknowledge. I have nothing but respect and awe for this absolutely unique work of art."—Carolyn See, author of Making a Literary Life: Advice for Writers and Other Dreamers "Sacred Sites honors the power and beauty of our indigenous heritage and homeland. By knowing our history we better understand the present and our journey into the future."—Anthony Morales, tribal chair, Gabrielino Tongva Council of San Gabriel “Susan Suntree presents a readable and broadly accessible account of the history of the universe, Earth, and Southern California in this scholarly and creative blend of ancient myth and modern science.”-Raymond V. Ingersoll, professor of geology at the University of California, Los Angeles